Captain Kidd raised from the murky depths

A special talk at an important London attraction will look to shed some light on one of the most mysterious and controversial figures of the high seas.

On December 17th the Museum of London Docklands will host Captain Kidd's lost treasure ship, an exploration of 17th-century pirate William Kidd and his part in maritime history.

The lecture will be given by underwater archaeologist Charles Beeker who, with his team from Indiana University, found the remains of Kidd's ship the Quedagh Merchant off the coast of Catalina Island in the Caribbean.

Beeker said: "I've been on literally thousands of shipwrecks in my career. This is one of the first sites I've been on where I haven't seen any looting.

"We've got a shipwreck in crystal clear, pristine water that's amazingly untouched. We want to keep it that way, so we made the announcement now to ensure the site's protection from looters."

Debate rages among the historical community about whether Kidd was a pirate or actually a privateer, paid and sanctioned by the government. This important lecture should bring some of the facts about this intriguing man into focus.

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